Goomin Nam

Doujin, Game Music

Get Your Holidays Started with a Composer-Collaborative Album!

December 1, 2016 | Brenna Wilkes | 2 Comments Share this

It is now officially the holiday season, and we can no longer deny the onslaught of questionably festive music that started well before December graced 2016. The good news is that there tend to be a good handful of arrangement albums and collaborative efforts each year towards building fun and interesting holiday music albums, both video game related and not, to keep us all mostly sane. The fine people of Scarlet Moon Records have kicked off the season with one of our first offerings of such sanity-saving musical projects with their Scarlet Moon Christmas Album 2016.

Featuring joint contributions from both video game and film composers, including Hiroki Kikuta (Secret of Mana), Dale North (Silent Horror), Vince DiCola (Transformers, Rocky IV), Robyn Miller (Myst, Riven) and more over nine tracks, Scarlet Moon Christmas Album 2016 is a charming and subtle way of easing yourself into more festive feelings.

“Dale North and I are both massive fans of Christmas music. After releasing the Scarlet Moon Christmas EP in 2014, we wanted to rekindle that passion by creating even more Christmas-themed tracks to get music fans of all ages and genres in the spirit of the season. And as it would turn out, most of the artists on the roster love Christmas music just as much as we do!” – Jayson Napolitano, Producer

The track listing gives you an idea of what to expect to hear, including both video game music arrangements and arrangements of classic Christmas tunes.

01. “Jingle Bells” by Vince DiCola
02. “Christmas Garden (Yoshi’s Island)” by Mustin
03. “Peaceful Christmas (Chrono Trigger)” by Dale North
04. “Some Small Hope (Cherubic Hymn by A. Kastorsky)” by Osamu Kubota
05. “Angels We Have Heard on High” by Hiroki Kikuta
06. “Christmas Comes to Myst (Myst)” by Robyn Miller
07. “Rainbow Road (Mario Kart 64)” by Justin Lassen
08. “Melodies of Life (Final Fantasy IX)” by Goomin “Nauts” Nam
09. “Aspertia City – Winter (Pokémon Black & White 2)” by Materia

“Jingle Bells” (sample) – Vince DiCola

Even if you’re not a huge Christmas person, the album is worth checking out. I myself have a hard time getting into any festive mood around the holidays, but when Vince DiCola’s rendition of “Jingle Bells” makes me envision a Transformers Christmas Special (Complete with transforming reindeer, because why not?), it’s hard not to get a little into the holiday spirit.

Scarlet Moon Christmas Album 2016 is available now for purchase on LOUDr, and soon on iTunes and Spotify.
Indie Music

Bar Oasis Visual Novel Releases Soundtrack Before Next Installment

March 14, 2016 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Bar Oasis Visual Novel Releases Soundtrack Before Next Installment Share this

Korean developer Corners Studio is excited to release the K-pop-inspired soundtracks to their long-running cocktail-making visual novel series for iOS, Bar Oasis. Featuring slick tunes by composer Goomin “Nauts” Nam and more of the beautiful artwork the series has come to be known for, the soundtrack releases should be a solid win for series fans and bring a whole new audience around to the franchise that has come to be known for its signature touchscreen drink mixing system that allows players to create drinks using familiar global brands while working from a menu that will teach any adult beverage connoisseur some new tricks. This all comes ahead of the upcoming release of the sequel, Bar Oasis 2: Aftertaste 01 , due out on March 24th.

“PhotoWall” – Bar Oasis (Goomin Nam)

To celebrate the release of the soundtracks and the upcoming Bar Oasis 2: Aftertaste 01, Corners Studio is offering the original Bar Oasis for free for a limited time on the iTunes Store. Check it out for some smooth tunes until March 24th and be sure to keep an eye out for the upcoming sequel!
Game Music

Arrangement of the Week: Fisherman’s Horizon (Christmas Ver.)

December 11, 2015 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on Arrangement of the Week: Fisherman’s Horizon (Christmas Ver.) Share this

What makes a “Christmas version” of a piece a Christmas version? Until I started looking up arrangements for this month, I had never given much thought about what gives the holiday genre of music its sound. There are certainly some specific tropes and conventions used for such pieces. Having said that, I think today’s Arrangement of the Week is an excellent example of the holiday music genre.

Last year Scarlet Moon Productions put out a Christmas themed game music album, Scarlet Moon Christmas EP, which included contributions from a number of artists. One of the tracks, by game composer Goomin Nam, is an arrangement of “Fisherman’s Horizon” from Final Fantasy VIII.

The original track is already well known by many Final Fantasy fans, and Nam doesn’t stray too far from the original tone of the source material. The arrangement captures the essence of many modern day holiday covers. A light electric piano, slowly building strings, and some light melodies on the acoustic guitar all help create a serene and relaxing cover.

Part of what I like about this track is that there’s nothing too complex about the arrangement. Different sets of instruments take turns with the melody, including the guitar, some woodwinds, and of course the piano. No improvising or flashy solo parts. Just a simple and straightforward arrangement. All in all, a great Christmas themed game music track.

Do you have any favorite Christmas themed videogame music covers? Let us know in the comments below. You can check out Goomin Nam’s “Fisherman’s Horizon (Christmas Ver.)” on OC ReMix and I’d highly recommend checking it out on the full Scarlet Moon Christmas EP at Loudr and iTunes.
Game Music, Music Production

Scarlet Moon Artists – Bringing the Composer to YOU!

June 4, 2014 | Brenna Wilkes | 1 Comment Share this

Have you ever wanted a place where you could go and pick from a pool of video game composers to find someone to create your game’s soundtrack? Well, that’s what our friends over at Scarlet Moon Productions decided to make available.

Scarlet Moon Artists is a group of talented game and media composers from around the globe who have come together to offer their services to game developers of any caliber in order to broaden their musical reach. And it’s a fantastic lineup of composers to be sure, spanning decades of experience. The group currently consists of:

Vince DiCola & Kenny Meriedeth (Rocky IV, Saturday Morning RPG, Transformers: The Movie)
Shinji Hosoe (Mega Man Network Transmission, Ridge Racer series, Tekken Tag Tournament 2)
Hiroki Kikuta (Koudelka, Secret of Mana, Soul Calibur V)
Osamu Kubota (Beatmania, Granado Espada)
Justin Lassen (Herbert the Misanthropic Fly, Otomedius Excllent, Synaethesia)
Goomin Nam (Bar Oasis series, Monarch: Heroes of a New Age, TalesWeaver)
Dale North (Dragon Fantasy Book II, OverClocked ReMix contributions, Silent Horror)
Jinbae Park (PangYa Portable, Ragnarok Online, Ridge Racer 7)
Hitoshi Sakimoto (Final Fantasy XII, Gradius V, Valkyria Chronicles series)

So if you’re looking for a splash of musical excellence in a game you’re working on, why not check out Scarlet Moon Artists and see what they can do for you!
Game Music

Monarch: Heroes of a New Age OST Released

February 22, 2014 | Brenna Wilkes | 1 Comment Share this

If you’re a fan of MMORPGs and the music associated with them, this might just tickle your fancy. The Korean game Monarch: Heroes of a New Age features a gorgeous orchestral soundtrack and an accompanying arrangement album that is sure to please fans of sweeping score and memorable melodies.

Korean composer Goomin “Nauts” Nam, who composed for games like the drink mixing sim game Bar Oasis, has put together a fantastic and diverse assortment of music to accompany the fantasy MMORPG. If that’s not enough, the arrangement album, Monarch: Heroes of a New Age Arrangements & Variations, features an equally diverse cast of guest arrangers including Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater composer Norihiko Hibino and pianist AYAKI, as well as arrangements from Dale North and Joshua Morse. (more…)